Creative Interviews: Jessica Massari

With this article we open the “Creative Interviews” section of our blog. From time to time, we will interview a jewelry maker, who will give us tips on DIY Jewelry and tell us something about her/his life inside and outside the beading world. We begin today with an interview to Jessica Massari, in art “Princy”, a well-known jewelry designer. Moreover, we’re proud to announce our cooperation with Jessica Massari, who will write some articles for our blog in future. Now, let’s ask her some questions:

Hi Jessica! Tell us something about you

Hi! My name is Jessica Massari and I’m 31. I was born and grown up in the outskirts of Rome, to wich I feel I deeply belong. I graduated in accountancy and now I’m enrolled in La Sapienza University in Rome, faculty of Medicine and Psychology, where I’m attending a course of psychology of child development. In fact, one of my dreams is to be able to work with kids. I’ve always been fascinated by the human mind and the unconscious, by mental illnesses, that are of no less importance than physical illnesses. But my new job of jewelry maker and my family are absorbing all my energies. After living together for 2 years with my partner, and after 15 years of engagement, our son Marco was born the 15th of October. I’m a mother now, and I’m so happy! He’s my greatest creation!

How and when did you start working with beads?

I started in 2010. In that period i was suffering several losses and i felt that my life was changing. One day, during a lunch break at work, i watched a video on the internet that showed how to make a ring with beads. I was struck by it! I’ve always loved wearing rings and necklaces, so I started doing research and I found numerous online tutorials. I said “Why not try it”? And from that moment I’ve never stopped! That ring with beads was my first creation. I got into the swing of it so much that I decided to create my own Youtube channel.

Which tools can not be missing on your workbench?

I’m an extremely messy person, so i need mess to create! There is everything on my workbench! Everything inspires me and I must have everything in front of me to be able to make new creations, but the first thing I do is lay down my bead mat, which I always have on table.

What are your favourite beads or components?

It’s not easy to say what materials are important to me since I use many of them, but the ones I like most are Swarovski Bicones and Rivoli, and Superduo Beads.

What is your favourite beading technique?

Among all the techniques, I prefer the circular peyote, either realized with delica and rocailles or with czech glass beads.

What advice will you give to those who start working with beads?

I would advise them to not give up if they run into any difficulties, because we learn from mistakes and you absolutely need to be patient in this job. So, never give up!

Besides beading, do you love other kinds of creative techniques?

I tried working with fimo, felt, crochet, and i tried knitting, cross-stitching and decoupage, but I always return to beading, my point of origin!

What is your most successful creation?

The “Modigliani” pendant! It’s a creation that comes straight from my heart and it is named after my favourite painter. When I made it, Superduo Beads had just hit the market and I fell in love with them immediately. I made a free video tutorial on that pendant and hundreds of people realized it in so many different shades! It’s been a huge satisfaction for me!

And what is your favourite creation?

I can say that the “Modigliani” pendant is also my favourite creation because, although I made it in every possible version and colour, I never get tired of it!

Can you recommend us a perfect match of colours for a piece of jewelry?

I think black and gold are a perfect match! They are elegant, and they can be both classic and modern at the same time. They never let you down!

PerlineBijoux thanks Jessica for the interview. Down here you can see a slideshow with some of her creations.